Edge interconnects for use with circuit boards and integrated circuits

Abstract

A substrate assembly includes at least one printed circuit (PC) substrate. Each PC substrate includes a PC top surface and a PC bottom surface spaced from each other and an edge that runs at least partially about a periphery of the PC substrate between the PC top surface and the PC bottom surface. The edge includes or defines on a facet or edge surface of the edge at least one projection that extends transverse or normal to the facet or edge surface. The projection includes a projection top surface and a projection bottom surface spaced from each other and the projection can include or be made of conductive material.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A substrate assembly comprising:
 at least one printed circuit (PC) substrate, wherein: 
 each PC substrate includes a PC top surface and a PC bottom surface spaced from each other and an edge that runs at least partially about a periphery of the PC substrate between the PC top surface and the PC bottom surface; 
 the edge including or defining on a facet or edge surface of said edge at least one projection that extends transverse or normal to said facet or edge surface; 
 the projection including a projection top surface and a projection bottom surface spaced from each other; and 
 the projection comprises conductive material, wherein the at least one PC substrate includes a first PC substrate and a second PC substrate; 
 the projection of the first PC substrate includes its projection top surface coincident, coextensive, or residing in the same plane as its PC top surface and its projection bottom surface extending transverse from the facet or edge surface of the edge of the first PC substrate from a location between the PC top surface and the PC bottom surface of the first PC substrate; 
 the projection of the second PC substrate includes its projection bottom surface coincident, coextensive, or residing in the same plane as its PC bottom surface and its projection top surface extending transverse from the facet or edge surface of the edge of the second PC substrate from a location between the PC top surface and the PC bottom surface of the second PC substrate; and 
 the projection bottom surface of the first PC substrate overlaps and is in contact with the projection top surface of the second PC substrate. 
 
     
     
       2. The substrate assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the conductive material includes a conductor formed on at least one of the projection top surface and the projection bottom surface. 
     
     
       3. The substrate assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the projection is formed partially or entirely of the conductive material. 
     
     
       4. The substrate assembly of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the projection of the first PC substrate includes its conductive material on its projection bottom surface; and 
 the projection of the second PC substrate includes its conductive material on its projection top surface which makes electrical contact with the conductive material on the projection bottom surface of the projection of the first PC substrate when the projection bottom surface of the first PC substrate overlaps and is in contact with the projection top surface of the second PC substrate. 
 
     
     
       5. The substrate assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the PC substrate is comprised of at least two layers. 
     
     
       6. A substrate assembly comprising:
 at least one printed circuit (PC) substrate, wherein: 
 each PC substrate includes a PC top surface and a PC bottom surface spaced from each other and an edge that runs at least partially about a periphery of the PC substrate between the PC top surface and the PC bottom surface; 
 the edge including or defining on a facet or edge surface of said edge at least one projection that extends transverse or normal to said facet or edge surface; 
 the projection including a projection top surface and a projection bottom surface spaced from each other; and 
 the projection comprises conductive material, wherein the projection includes at least one pair of projections having a recess therebetween, wherein each projection includes the projection top surface and the projection bottom surface coincident, coextensive, or residing in the same planes as the respective PC top surface and the PC bottom surface. 
 
     
     
       7. A substrate assembly comprising:
 at least one printed circuit (PC) substrate, wherein: 
 each PC substrate includes a PC top surface and a PC bottom surface spaced from each other and an edge that runs at least partially about a periphery of the PC substrate between the PC top surface and the PC bottom surface; 
 the edge including or defining on a facet or edge surface of said edge at least one projection that extends transverse or normal to said facet or edge surface; 
 the projection including a projection top surface and a projection bottom surface spaced from each other; and 
 the projection comprises conductive material, wherein the projection includes at least one pair of projections having a recess therebetween, wherein the at least one pair of projections includes: 
 a first pair of spaced projections in a first plane of the PC substrate having a first recess therebetween; and 
 a second pair of spaced projections in a second, parallel plane of the PC substrate having a second recess therebetween, wherein at least one of the first pair of projections is aligned, in a direction normal to the first and second planes, with the second recess, and at least one of the second pair of projections is aligned, in a direction normal to the first and second planes, with the first recess. 
 
     
     
       8. The substrate assembly of  claim 7 , wherein:
 the at least one PC substrate includes first and second PC substrates, each including the first and second pairs of spaced projections; and 
 the first and second PC substrates are positioned, arranged, or configured with the first and second pairs of spaced projections of the first PC substrate and the first and second pairs of spaced projections of the second PC substrate interdigitated with each other. 
 
     
     
       9. A substrate assembly comprising:
 at least one printed circuit (PC) substrate, wherein: 
 each PC substrate includes a PC top surface and a PC bottom surface spaced from each other and an edge that runs at least partially about a periphery of the PC substrate between the PC top surface and the PC bottom surface; 
 the edge including or defining on a facet or edge surface of said edge at least one projection that extends transverse or normal to said facet or edge surface; 
 the projection including a projection top surface and a projection bottom surface spaced from each other; 
 the projection comprises conductive material, wherein the projection is formed partially or entirely of the conductive material, 
 the at least one PC substrate includes first and second PC substrates, each including the projection made of the conductive material formed as a cantilevered beam having a proximal end supported by the PC substrate and a free, distal end, wherein a largest dimension of the conductive material formed as the cantilevered beam is a distance between the proximal end and the distal end; and 
 the first and second PC substrates are positioned, arranged, or configured adjacent or proximate each other with their respective projections in electrical contact, wherein one of the first and second PC substrates is a microchip or a rigid or flexible printed circuit board or printed wiring board and the other of the first and second PC substrates is a rigid or flexible printed circuit board or printed wiring board. 
 
     
     
       10. The substrate assembly of  claim 9 , wherein:
 the microchip is formed from a semiconductor material; and 
 each printed circuit board or printed wiring board is made from at least one of the following: a glass-reinforced epoxy laminate or a polyamide. 
 
     
     
       11. A substrate assembly comprising:
 at least one printed circuit (PC) substrate, wherein: 
 each PC substrate includes a PC top surface and a PC bottom surface spaced from each other and an edge that runs at least partially about a periphery of the PC substrate between the PC top surface and the PC bottom surface; 
 the edge including or defining on a facet or edge surface of said edge at least one projection that extends transverse or normal to said facet or edge surface; 
 the projection including a projection top surface and a projection bottom surface spaced from each other; 
 the projection comprises conductive material, wherein the projection is formed partially or entirely of the conductive material, 
 the at least one PC substrate includes first and second PC substrates, each including the projection of the conductive material and having a proximal end supported by the PC substrate and a free, distal end; and 
 the second PC substrate is received in a recess in the PC top surface or the PC bottom surface of the first PC substrate with their respective projections in electrical contact, wherein each projection of the conductive material is formed as a cantilevered beam having the proximal end supported by its PC substrate and the free, distal end, wherein a largest dimension of the conductive material formed as the cantilevered beam is a distance between the proximal end and the distal end. 
 
     
     
       12. The substrate assembly of  claim 11 , wherein each of the first and second PC substrates is a printed circuit board or printed wiring board. 
     
     
       13. The substrate assembly of  claim 12 , wherein each printed circuit board or printed wiring board is made from at least one of the following: a glass-reinforced epoxy laminate, a polyamide, or PTFE. 
     
     
       14. A substrate assembly comprising:
 at least one printed circuit (PC) substrate, wherein: 
 each PC substrate includes a PC top surface and a PC bottom surface spaced from each other and an edge that runs at least partially about a periphery of the PC substrate between the PC top surface and the PC bottom surface; 
 the edge including or defining on a facet or edge surface of said edge at least one projection that extends transverse or normal to said facet or edge surface; 
 the projection including a projection top surface and a projection bottom surface spaced from each other; 
 the projection comprises conductive material, wherein the projection is formed partially or entirely of the conductive material, 
 the at least one PC substrate includes first and second PC substrates, each including the projection of the conductive material and having a proximal end supported by the PC substrate and a free, distal end; and 
 the second PC substrate is received in a recess in the PC top surface or the PC bottom surface of the first PC substrate with their respective projections in electrical contact, wherein each projection comprises the conductive material formed on the facet or edge surface as a contact pad, wherein a largest dimension of the conductive material formed as the contact pad on the facet or edge surface is in a direction parallel to the facet or edge surface. 
 
     
     
       15. The substrate assembly of  claim 14 , wherein:
 the at least one PC substrate includes plural second PC substrates received in the recess in the PC top surface or the PC bottom surface of the first PC substrate; and 
 the projections of adjacent or proximate second PC substrates are in electrical contact.